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Miami Heat: Breaking down team and player performances by uniform

By Sam DiGiovanni

ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 20: Duncan Robinson #55, Derrick Jones Jr. #5, Goran Dragic #7, Bam Adebayo #13, and Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat make their way back to the bench during a break in play during the second half of an NBA game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on February 20, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 20: Duncan Robinson #55, Derrick Jones Jr. #5, Goran Dragic #7, Bam Adebayo #13, and Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat make their way back to the bench during a break in play during the second half of an NBA game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on February 20, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /
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Miami Heat
Miami Heat (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

How does the Miami Heat’s performance change with each uniform they wear? Do players perform differently in a different color? Let’s find out.

It’s not enough for the Miami Heat to just be one of the better NBA teams in the 2019-20 season – they also sport some of the best uniforms in the league. The team’s uniforms are simple and sleek, with enough detail to stand out while not overdoing it.

Miami’s closet goes four jerseys deep, each with a specific name, as per NBA ordinance. The Heat wears white “Association” uniforms, black “Icon” uniforms and red “Statement” jerseys, the three colors the team has flaunted since its inception. Miami breaks away from their norm with light blue “City” uniforms, which the team calls its “ViceWave” jerseys.

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Miami’s jersey rotation is somewhat volatile. The longest streak of consecutive jerseys up to this point in the season was four, occurring when the Miami Heat donned white jerseys from its 14th game until its 17th. There were eight other three-game streaks throughout the season.

In the 65 games played before the season went on a hiatus due to the coronavirus, the uniform breakdown was as follows:

  • 23 games in the white Association jerseys, 14-9 record (0.61 winning percentage)
  • 16 games in the blue City jerseys, 12-4 record (0.75 winning percentage)
  • 15 games in the black Icon jerseys, 8-7 record (0.53 winning percentage)
  • 11 games in the red Statement jerseys, 8-3 record (0.72 winning percentage)

For the remainder of the 2019-20 season – should it continue – the Heat will wear white and blue six more times each, black thrice more and white twice more. The three games with black jerseys would all be consecutive and the regular season would have concluded with five straight white uniform appearances.

The Heat broke out its ViceWave uniforms the most at home, wearing them in 13 games at the AmericanAirlines Arena. Miami wore white at home 11 times, red five times and black twice. The black threads were the most popular choice for road games, though, with Miami sporting them 13 times.

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In red jerseys, Miami averages the most points (115.8) but also gives up the most points (110.8). It’s vice versa for the white jerseys, with the Heat scoring an average of 108.5 points while surrendering 106.7 points.

The Heat outscores their opponent in every jersey they wear. The average scoring margin is the highest in the ViceWave threads at +5.3 points and tied-for-lowest at +1.8 points between the black and white uniforms. In red jerseys, it’s an even +5.0 points.

Miami averages the most assists in its red threads at 27.5 and its lowest turnovers in blue at 10.5; in its white uniforms, the Heat averages the worst marks of these stats with a low of 25.0 assists and a high of 16.4 turnovers.

The Heat’s scoring is most efficient in red jerseys, with splits of 48.4 percent on field goals and 43.3 percent on triples. Miami’s opponents also shoot the most efficiently when the Heat wore their Statement threads at 46.2 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from behind the arc. However, Miami’s foes also averaged the most turnovers per game at 14.5.

Players’ performances vary depending on what jerseys they’re wearing, too.

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